Cuticle guard



NOV. 5, 0- G. A. AUSTIN ET AL 2,220,363

CUTICLE GUARD Filed Feb. 26, 1940 Arrhbr Earl Aushn George Allen Austin INVENTOR5 Patented Nov. 5, 1940 CUTICLE. GUARD George Allen Austin and Arthur Earl Austin, Los Angeles, Calif.

Application February 26, 1940, Serial No. 320,942

4 Claims.

This invention relates to cuticle guards, and.

more specifically contemplates a device adapted to be clipped on the finger so as to partially encircle the nail for the protection of the cuticle 5 while applying polish or the like to thenails.

In order to dress the nails in .conformance to the exacting requirements of fashion or to even meet recognized standards for well kept hands, it is necessary to exercise great care in the application of lacquer and polishes to the finger nails. In accordance with one style of manicure in which lacquer is applied closely adjacent to the cuticle at the base of the nail, it is difficult to avoid touching the brush by which the lacquer is applied, to the cuticle, and thus producing a ragged appearance. The afifinity of the lacquer so deposited on the cuticle for that on the nail induces the accumulation of lacquer in the recess formed between the cuticle and nail. This deposit of lacquer will ordinarily be somewhat thicker than the film applied to the other portions of the nail, with the result that it forms a line visibly darker than the coloring of the remainder of the nail.

It is a general object of the present invention to obviate the difficulties above mentioned by the provision of devices adapted for attachment to the fingers to form barriers between the cuticle and nail of each finger and thereby confine to the nails the various liquids applied in manicur- Another object is to provide a device for shaping the cuticle during the application of lacquer, polish, or the like, to the nail.

Another object is to provide devices of the character above alluded to composed of resilient material having ends, engageable under the side edges of the finger nails, which are expansible and contractible relative to one another so as to conform to finger nails of different widths.

Other objects and salient features of our invention such as economy of manufacture, simplicity of construction, facility in use, and durability, will be apparent to those of skill in the art from an examination of the following description read in the light of the accompanying drawing, in which:

Fig. 1 is a plan view of our invention as arranged in use on a finger;

Fig. 2 is a side elevation of the cuticle guard clipped to a finger as shown in Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is an end elevation of the finger of a user having the device operatively associated therewith;

Fig. 4 is a sectional view of the cuticle guard depicting in section the finger nail on which it is, positioned. i Referring to the drawing in detail, the numerals of which indicate similar parts throughout the several views, 5 designates generally a finger 5 ofa user, and 6 the fingerv nail to which liquid polish remover, lacquer, or polish is to be applied. The cuticle adjacent the base and sides of the nail is indicated by the numeral I.

. Our invention comprises a thin elongated strip 8 of material, preferably metal, having a spring temper. The strip 8 is shaped to conform to the outline of the base and sides of the visible part of a nail 6 when the nail and cuticle are properly shaped. The intermediate portion 9 of the strip is curved to conform to the shape of the base of the nail, and side extensions ll) ,of strip 8 from the portion 9, are adapted, when arranged on the finger of the user, to follow the outline of the side edges of the nail. The sides ll] of the guard thus form a continuous curve gradually decreasing in degree toward their ends H which are spaced apart a distance less than the greatest distance between sides I0 of the guard and slightly less than the width of the portion of i the nail opposite, which they are arranged, as is hereinafter more in detail described. From the center of the intermediate portion 9 to the ends ll of the strip, the opposite sides of the latter continuously turn on their axes, whereby the ends I l assume a perpendicular relationship with portion 9.

In use, the device is placed on the finger nail with the intermediate portion 9 at the base of. the nail and against cuticle l overlying the base of the nail. The ends ll of the strip are drawn down and slightly separated to progressively bring the sides In of the guard on to nail 6 and against cuticle l with the ends ll extending slightly in advance of the point of separation of the nail from the epidermis of the finger. The ends I l of the guard are then engaged under the forward side edges of the finger nail 6. Due to the fact that the ends of the device are normally separated a distance less than the width of the nail at the points thereon adjacent which they are arranged in use, as'above indicated, the spring tension of the metal composing the guard compels the sides II) to grip the edges of the nail at points where the sides pass over said edges and to thereby hold the guard in position on finger 5. Guards of the character described are preferably provided in different sizes, whereby an appropriately sized guard may be attached to each nail, being easily removed, after the liquid nail .coating has been applied, by further separating the ends I l of the strips, respectively, to disengage the ends from under the nails.

It will thus be observed that we have provided a shield for the cuticle 1, or a barrier between the finger nail and cuticle which protects the latter while liquid removers, lacquers, polishes, etc., are applied to'the nail so as to obviate to a great extent the degree of care ordinarily required in manicuring to prevent smearing liquids on the cuticle, from which it is diflicult to remove polish or the like without marring the coating on the nail. Due to the strength of the' material of which the device is composed, the cuticle is held in proper shape during the application of the nail coating liquids.

While we have described but one embodiment of our invention, it will be understood by those of skill in the art that changes may be made in design or proportion of the various portionsiof the device and, particularly, in the width and length of the strip of which the guard is composed, all without departing from the spirit of our invention as defined by the appended claims. What we claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent is: I l

'1. In a cuticle guard, a strip of resilient material curved to conform to the contour of the to maintain the strip in a predetermined position.

2. In a cuticle guard, at strip of resilient material curved to conform to the shape of the cuticle comprising an intermediate portion and ends, the intermediate portion and the ends forming substantially night angles, said ends being engageable under the sides of the nail to maintaintheintermediate portion against the cuticle at the base of the nail.

3. In a cuticle guard, a strip having its ends curved toward one another to form an arcuate middle portion adapted to conform in shape to the cuticle at the base edge of the nail, adjoining portions of the strip being gradually turned on their axes, the ends being substantially parallel to the plane of the sides of the nail and engageable under-the nail with the adjoining portions gripping the side edges of the nail.

4. In a cuticle guard, an arcuate strip of resilient material comprising an intermediate portion and having ends curved to a lesser degree than the intermediate portion, said ends being engageable under the side edges of a nail, the sides of the strip between the intermediate portion and the ends being turned on their axes to maintain the intermediate portion in an upright position at the base of the nail when said ends are engaged under the nail.

GEORGE ALLEN AUSTIN. ARTHUR EARL AUSTIN. 

